Eidolon
by Shan-chan aka Cosmic Castaway
Summary: An Eidolon is a type of ghost; a forgotten memory. Inuyasha my have lost an Eidolon of his own: Bankotsu. Shounen-ai.


**Eidolon** by Cosmic Castaway  
  
A/N: Inspired by Akari and Yuki's "One True Pairing." You can take this seriously or as a joke. Your choice. :)  
  
_Crack._   
  
Bankotsu flinched as the twig snapped in two beneath his feet. He cursed himself inwardly. The last thing he needed tonight was to wake up -   
  
"Mmm? Aniki?"   
  
Too late.   
  
"Jakotsu," he acknowledged, sighing slightly. The scantily-clad warrior was even less scantily-clad in the night, his armor off and his whole chest bare, the top of his lilac kimono drooping limpy at his sides. His hair was down, tousled, and his voice was tired - but his eyes were alert now, completly awake.   
  
"Bankotsu no aniki...didja hear something?"   
  
Bankotsu shook his head before he got an idea, and then quickly nodded. "Yes."   
  
"Wha? Yes, no? Ban-chan, are you-"   
  
"Yes," Bankotsu repeated. "And I want you to stay here and guard our base. I'm going to investigate."   
  
Jakotsu's voice took on a whining tone, and Bankotsu could guess what was coming next: "Demo, Aniki, we're in a clearing in the woods, not a base! Let me go with you~!"   
  
"Jakotsu," Bankotsu replied gently "I love you dearly, but that's an order. Just _stay here please_!"   
  
Jakotsu pouted. "You're being weird."   
  
This, however, got a laugh in response. Jakotsu quickly joined in. Both of them had already designated each other a "title", and _Jakotsu_ was "The Weird One." Bankotsu, on the contrary, was "The Crybaby."   
  
"Listen, Jakotsu...I'll be right back, okay?" Bankotsu smiled at him. He shouldered Jakotsu's weapon and turned to leave. "Can I borrow this? If you're good, I'll find you a cutie in the raid tomorrow!"   
  
"Waaaai!" Jakotsu replied, gripping his fists to his chest. He wasn't really sure _why_ he had to guard where they'd been sleeping, out in the middle of the woods - but Bankotsu was more than just his friend or his brother: he was his leader, too, and he had to do what he said. Jakotsu's hand shot up to wave to him: "Be careful, Ooaniki!"   
  
Bakotsu heard the shout in the distance. Cheerily, he replied "I will!"   
  
Deep inside, however, he had other matters on his mind.   
  
- - -   
  
Inuyasha lie awake in his tree, the dancing firelight making his skin glow orange and the waning gibbous moon casting cold blue shadows wherever the fire didn't reach.   
  
His eyes looked to the sky, his legs were crossed, his arms behind his head. He looked like he was lost in thought, and while he was - he remained alert. Though his gaze was on the stars, every other sense was sharp and clear. He could hear the soft sounds of his four companions breathing deeply in their sleep below him; the constant drone of crickets; the rustling of the leaves in the breeze. And he could smell the night - damp, cool, and earthy, the wind which carried the slight fragrance of flowers, and, of course, the ever-present scent of his friends. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and he was sure of it.   
  
Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara. The canine blood which filled up half his veins had made a vow to them instinctually. They were his pack. He was their protector. So if anything..._anything at all_...was out of order, he'd know it was there, and he could stop it.   
  
Imagine his surprise, then, when a young, braided man carrying Jakotsu's sword suddenly emerged from the woods, grinning up at him. Immediately wafted up the earthy scent of gravesoil - it was one of the Shichinintai.   
  
"Inuyasha. Come talk."   
  
The hanyou sputtered at the man, absolutely floored that he hadn't detected him. He shout-whispered, "You! How the hell did you...! Why do you have that idiot's sword?"   
  
Bankotsu cut him off. "Hey, calm down. I just want to speak with you. Come down from there."   
  
"What? You asshole, do you think I would-"   
  
In a flash of silver blades, the branch fell out from underneath him. It crashed downward, through the leaves, sending the hanyou plummeting to the ground. He hit hard, wincing, and looked up - the branch was falling quickly and violently right towards him.   
  
Bankotsu, suddenly, stood beside Inuyasha. He extended his arm and effortlessly caught it. Inuyasha gaped at this. Silence returned to the forest.   
  
"How...did you...?"   
  
The braided man shrugged, placing the giant tree limb gently on the ground beside them. "Had to get you down somehow. Though I'm not as good with Jakotsutou...ah, I miss my Banryuu!"   
  
Inuyasha looked around him, ignoring Bankotsu momentarily. The others, to his surprise, were still sleeping soundly. "Those guys..." he growled, "Snoring right through everything...!"   
  
Bankotsu chuckled. "Yeah, I know how you feel."   
  
"Eh?" Inuyasha replied, incredulously. This was even weirder than anything that had happened so far. "So...you're _not_ trying to kill us?"   
  
"Well, not tonight," Bankotsu replied. "I need to see...I need to confirm something first."   
  
The hanyou sighed. "Well, fine," he agreed, but quickly warned him, "But one wrong move, and I'll rip you apart."   
  
Bankotsu nodded. "Sounds fair. Now come with me."   
  
- - -   
  
_ "You stupid, stupid child! Get out! Get out of my house!"   
  
"But auntie, please! I didn't...I didn't mean to!"   
  
The door flew open. Out Bankotsu went and it was slammed shut behind him.   
  
"Auntie!" he yelled, pounding on the door. His large blue eyes were wide, bewildered. "Auntie, please! Let me in! There are youkai out here...there are robbers! Auntie..."   
  
There was, however, no answer. Bankotsu slumped against the door, sinking to his knees. His long black bangs drooped forward, concealing his hopeless eyes. The young boy hugged in his knees to his chest, and whispered to himself: "I...have nowhere else to go."   
  
It started to rain, lightly at first. But it became harder and heavier, and lightning cut across the gray, angry sky. Frightened, Bankotsu ran. The wet, slimy branches of dark ominous trees bit out at his face, grabbed at his ankles. Every invisible monster imaginable seemed to be hot on his tracks; the thunder was their hoarse, hungry roaring.   
  
For what seemed like an eternity he ran, his muscles burning and his vision unclear. And then suddenly, finally, the textured trunk of a wide, angry giant rushed up in front of him, smacked hard into his face, and caused his world to go from bright white agony to an empty, death-like black.   
  
But when his eyes fluttered open, he felt like he was caught in a dream.   
  
All around him were bright, happy fields; a sky as blue as his eyes above him and filled with puffy white clouds. The sun's yellow rays reached to the earth, not scorching, but gently warm. Sakura trees, plum trees, orange trees, magnolias...they were everywhere, ripe with colorful fruit and in full bloom all at once. Small, flighty birds sang sweetly in their nests; rabbits and deer nibbled the grasses; two baby foxes played with the butterflies in the rainbow patches of wildflowers.   
  
Bankotsu had never, in his life, seen something so peaceful and perfect. Foxes killed rabbits, didn't they? Why weren't the rabbits afraid?   
  
"Hey, kid? How'd you get here?"   
  
Bankotsu whirled around, gasping. Towering above him was an older boy, completely feral in appearance. His hair was long, wild, and silver, his eyes were gold and slitted like a wolf. His slender fingers ended in pointed nails and on his head were a pair of triangular white dogs' ears. His wardrobe was a crimson red with a rough-looking weave, beneath it he could see a normal white-cotton yukata.   
  
He was...so _cool_ looking...   
  
"Hey, brat! Are you deaf?"   
  
Bankotsu shook his head.   
  
The dog-eared boy blinked down at him. "Did that bitch Kikyou seal you too?"   
  
"Kikyou?" Bankotsu repeated. "Um, no...I was running..."   
  
A rough sigh escaped the older boy's throat. "Rammed right into my tree, huh?"   
  
"Oh," Bankotsu replied, blushing to his ears. "I'm sorry."   
  
The boy knelt down to help him up, looking slightly annoyed. "Well, it's never happened before, but...I guess I could use the company. What's your name, anyways."   
  
Bankotsu's chest swelled up with pride. "Saigo no Bankotsu, son of Yoichi, single male heir to my clan. I am a samurai, you know."   
  
The older boy was not impressed. "Perfect. I've got some miniature warrior to bother me now."   
  
"What? That doesn't mean _anything_ to you?" Bankotsu replied, somewhat shocked. He'd hoped his title would make the older boy think he was cool, too.   
  
"When you're like me, brat," he replied, "You get tired of hearing it. Especially when you can't say anything quite as prestigious for yourself."   
  
"But-" Bankotsu retorted, "You look so strong! You're like half a youkai or something! I bet you could wipe out an entire army of samurai."   
  
"Yeah, so I'm a hanyou," the older boy replied, slightly disgusted with the word. "I'm not strong. Look at me now! I'm trapped in a seal for eternity. Trapped by a _human girl_. The last thing I need is some midget samurai rubbing it in."   
  
Bankotsu paused slightly, blushing further. The older boy picked up on this, and looked down on him with pity. "You just made that whole thing up, didn't you?"   
  
Bankotsu suddenly choked on his words. "I'm sorry," he replied. He felt tears coming forth from the corners of his eyes, and fought in vain to keep them from coming. "You see, I do come from a samurai family, but...my father and mother had to kill themselves because he ran away from battle. It's completely against the warrior's code. And me, well, I was afraid to die, just like him. So _I_ ran away," he paused, wiping his eyes. "For a long time now, I've been a ronin. But I never completed my training, and my clan is still after me, so I have to hide out in the homes of good samaritans. It never lasts long, though...I'm always messing up..."   
  
The older boy twitched slightly. "So. You were only trying to impress me when you rattled off that long title of yours."   
  
"Yeah," Bankotsu replied. "I used to get a lot of respect before everything happened, but now I'm forced to hide it all...now, I'm just 'Ban', a beggar's son who lost his parents in the famine. I grew my hair out so no one would recognize me...and now, even peasant boys that are younger than me can insult me and kick me around."   
  
"Heh," the older boy replied, "I guess that you and I are not so different, then."   
  
"So, what's your story, hanyou?" Bankotsu asked, smiling up at him. He sniffled and wiped the wetness from his face.   
  
The older boy sighed and sat down, a cloud of sand wafting up as he did so. Bankotsu sat down too, more softly, beside him. "Well," the hanyou began, "I was also once part of a powerful family. My father was a great taiyoukai who ruled the western lands; all the youkai in the region payed him homage. His first-born, Sesshoumaru, was his heir..."   
  
"Are you Sesshoumaru?" Bankotsu questioned.   
  
"_No_," the older boy replied, almost bitterly. "I came second. You see, my father fell in love with a human woman, who'd once just been a concubine he played with. When his current mate found out, she took her her own life. My father was saddened, but had other things to worry about. The human was carrying his second child, and he brusquely made her his new mate. It's pretty obvious that I was that child."   
  
Bankotsu's eyes were wide with wonder. While _his_ story was filled with shame and fear, the hanyou's was more like a fairytale. Was he really a _demon prince_?   
  
"Well, I had a few good years, I guess," The boy continued, "But I was still very young when my father died in battle against our greatest enemy, a dragon named...well, I don't quite remember his name, but father used the last of his strength to seal him up, much like I am now. Our family was safe. My brother had become the new ruler. And the first thing he did was to banish my mother and I.   
  
"So we traveled far, far away from those lands, and lived in a village as a widower and her son. It was the night of the new moon...I was human, and she made the village chief keep his word that we could stay. When he found out I was a hanyou, there was nothing he could do. But I was outcasted. I didn't know what a 'hanyou' meant. My mother just looked at me and cried, all the time.   
  
"Later on, the effects of the wars finally got to our village. Famine eventually took my mother. I was instantly exiled. Banished from the youkai world _and_ the human world, I had nowhere else to go. I was just a little older than you are now, brat. Just a little bit older, and there was nothing I could lie about to strangers that would hide what _I_ was. So when I heard rumor of a jewel that could grant you any wish, I went after it...I wanted to become a full youkai, to protect myself. Of course, there was this obnoxious miko protecting it..."   
  
Bankotsu let out a sigh. "So. That's how you ended up sealed."   
  
"Yeah, well...there was a little more to it than that. But that part's not important."   
  
"I don't think we're alike," Bankotsu replied. "You're...so much braver. You never ran away like I did." The younger boy hung his head in shame.   
  
"Don't be stupid," the hanyou replied gruffly. "It's pointless just to kill yourself for something dumb your father did. I always thought the samurais' stupid bushido was all a bunch of nonsense, anyways. I mean, you're getting by, aren't you? You haven't been caught? In your own way, you're fighting against what the world wants from you. If I had done what everybody wanted, well...I'd just go jump of a cliff to make them happy. But it's over for me. I'm stuck here in this dream, but you...you'll wake up."   
  
Bankotsu felt the tears coming again, and held them back. "What should I do? What should I _do_?"   
  
The hanyou looked at him seriously, a million and one emotions filling his eyes. "KEEP FIGHTING."   
  
Bankotsu stared at him with wonder. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest. This _had_ to be a sign. He was still alive, and he had every right to keep it that way. "I..."   
  
Suddenly, though, a sharp, throbbing pain shot through his head. He cluched it, crying out in pain. The dreamy landscape around him flickered, fading away. He saw the hanyou boy smile at him sadly, and mouth the words: "Gambarou, Bankotsu. Never give up."   
  
"But...what's your name?!" he cried out desperately.   
  
Softly, as everything faded, he heard it: "Inuyasha."   
  
Bankotsu felt the rain dripping softly on his cheeks. He saw a distant flash of lightning, and heard a low rumble of thunder. His dirty, sweaty yukata clung wetly to his body like a second skin, making him shiver in the darkening afternoon. His head hurt pretty bad. As his vision focused, he realized that the dreamy world was gone, entirely.   
  
"Itai.." he drawled out, rubbing the crown of his forehead. He quickly lied down backwards, his head resting down on the soft, spongy moss below. This brought his line of sight directly upwards to the tree that he'd run into, and he gasped. Gnarled up in vines and snaking branches was the body of a boy, staked to the tree by an arrow. There was no mistaking who it was.   
  
"Inuyasha!"   
  
Bankotsu climbed up the old, twisted roots to reach the sealed hanyou, ignoring the ache in his head, the chill in his bones. The body was as soaked as he was, but it looked as if...yes, it _was_ as if he were sleeping, having a pleasant dream. Bankotsu knew this to be true. "I will NEVER stop fighting," he told Inuyasha defiantly. And so he sat down next to the body, hugged on to one of its legs, and waited out the night. "Just please...protect me, until the sun comes up?"   
  
Well, the sun _did_ come up, without incident. Bankotsu was awoken by the sound of another young boy's voice which was calling to him from the ground.   
  
"Oi! You up there! You're alright, aren't you?"   
  
"Yeah, Kentarou," Bankotsu answered sleepily, thinking it was Auntie's mean little grandson. "I'm fine."   
  
Seconds later, a very _different_ boy was standing right beside him, hanging slightly sideways from a fat, twisted vine. "Kentarou?" he questioned. "I'm not Kentarou."   
  
Bankotsu rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked at the boy, who was thin, wiry, and had shoulder-length hair tied up in a strange, loopy bun. He looked like he was wearing a woman's kimono which was ten times too big on him. "So, who are you, anyways? Who's that dead guy?" He asked, peering curiously at Inuyasha.   
  
"Oh, a friend," Bankotsu replied. "He's not dead. He keeps me safe."   
  
"Looks pretty dead to me," the wiry boy replied.   
  
Bankotsu didn't bother to explain things further. He figured that maybe this boy's parents might give him another shelter for awhile. "I'm called Ban. I'm an orphan."   
  
"Ban, hmm? My name's Ja, just Ja. Like a snake, you know. I'm an orphan too."   
  
Well, there went that idea. "Actually, my name's Bankotsu," he admitted. "I was trying to find a way to hide out. Have you heard of me? A lot of people want me dead."   
  
Ja cocked his head. "Oh. No, I haven't. Hey, do you always add "kotsu" to your name when you meet other orphans?"   
  
"No, that's my real n-"   
  
"Can I do it too? I want to be Ja-kotsu!"   
  
Now this was just silly. Bankotsu sighed slightly, but decided to play along with the boy. He was strange, but he was nice - he might prove to be a good companion for him. "Well, if you want. It does sound a bit better than just 'Ja', doesn't it?"   
  
"Okay!" the now 'Jakotsu' replied. "That sounds like snake bones, doesn't it? You know I got my name from my sword, Bankotsu," Jakotsu paused to point at the oversized weapon which sat at the base of the tree, wrapped in what looked like an enormous sheath made of snakeskin. "It's _really_ neat! Strikes out at enemies just like a snake! I'm good at using it, too. Wanna see?"   
  
Bankotsu followed the boy down the tree trunk to look at it. Up close and out of its skin, it was truly a beautiful weapon. It looked like something only wealthy daimyou could afford.   
  
"Wow! How'd you get a sword like that, Ja- er, Jakotsu?"   
  
Jakotsu beamed at this question. "My father was a well-known swordsmith. In fact, he made the finest swords in Japan! He gave me this one...it was his masterpiece. He died when I was very young, though. My stepmom, well..I wasn't always called 'Ja', she gave me my first name...but she threw me out of the house and kept his fortune. I saved my sword, though, my birth mother's hierlooms, and one other thing...d'ya wanna see?"   
  
Bankotsu smiled excitedly. "What is it?"   
  
"Oh, just a halberd. It's huge, though. My horse could barely drag the thing."   
  
Bankotsu definately wanted to check this out. "Oooh, I want to see it!"   
  
"Cool, c'mon!" Jakotsu replied. He ran off, Bankotsu following swiftly behind him. What they arrived at was an old abandoned cottage...it had no door, dirt floors, and was undoubtedly falling apart. Outside of it was the oldest mare Bankotsu had ever seen in his life...she could barely hold her head up straight.   
  
"Oh, that's Rai," Jakotsu chuckled. "She was my father's horse when he was my age. They were gonna use her for leather, but I rescued her," He patted her neck and led Bankotsu inside. "Don't think anyone was sad to see her go. Or me, for that matter."   
  
Bankotsu's eyes saw the halberd immediately, resting against an old, rotting wall. It was just as gorgeous as Jakotsu's sword, but twice its size and much more angular. The hilt was polished silver; the ridiculously long handle had to be made of the strongest, blackest wood he'd ever seen. It ended, like all halberds, in a deadly, crescent-shaped sythe.   
  
"That's it, right?" he asked breathlessly. "Does it have a name?"   
  
"Nah," Jakotsu replied. "Father never named his swords, except the simple katana that his father made for him. I'm not sure who he meant this to be for, but...it was pretty important to him, so I kept it. My sword, well...I just called it Jatou, which was its technical name. I'll have to call it Jakotsutou now, though, haha!"   
  
Bankotsu marveled at the halberd. Well, Jakotsu's elderly horse could _drag_ it...maybe he could lift it? "Jakotsu, could I try...using it, maybe?"   
  
Jakotsu smiled back at him cheerfully. "Well, tell ya what? You figure out how to master that sword, and you can have it. No use to me, really...and you're a really cute guy, ya know?"   
  
Bankotsu was floored. Cute guy? He could _have_ the sword? "You mean it?"   
  
"Uh, yeah," Jakotsu replied. "You're a really cute guy-"   
  
"Can I really have the sword?"   
  
"Oh, that. Sure, I said so, didn't I?"   
  
Bankotsu rushed forward and hugged Jakotsu, thanking him profusely. When he unlatched from the other boy, he saw Jakotsu's face was dyed a dark shade of crimson.   
  
"Oh, is that why your stepmom threw you out of the house?" Bankotsu questioned, more curiously than anything. "Because you like other boys?"   
  
Jakotsu nodded. "Yeah. Stupid women. So...you don't mind?"   
  
Bankotsu was back to admiring the sword. "Not really. Just don't go kissing me or anything."   
  
"So you want to be friends?" Jakotsu asked him.   
  
Bankotsu smiled back at him. "Definately! You're the nicest kid I've ever met!"   
  
Jakotsu's somewhat silly expression seemed to fade. "You mean it? Not just because I gave you the sword?" His voice was soft, hopeful.   
  
"Oh, no," Bankotsu responded. He was happy about the sword, but it was more of the fact that Jakotsu had wanted to be his friend enough to give it to him. It had to mean a lot. "I'd think you were nice whether you'd given me the sword or not."   
  
Jakotsu sniffled slightly. Was he...crying? "I'm sorry," he replied, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm just so glad I found you."   
  
"Me too," replied Bankotsu. He left the sword to comfort his new-found friend - he was so much more important. "Me too, Jakotsu."   
  
~ ~   
  
That night, Bankotsu returned to Inuyasha's tree for the last time in his life. He gazed at it, smiling softly. Jakotsu, his comically broken-down horse, and the start of a whole new life were awaiting him back at the cottage.   
  
"Thanks," he told the sleeping body. "I promise you...I'll be strong. I promise you I'll survive. And I promise you I'll keep on fighting."   
  
He climbed up to the body and hugged it, best as he could. "Hang in there, Inuyasha. When I get strong enough, I'll free you...when I kill one thousand men..." he paused, smiling. "It isn't over yet, Inuyasha. You keep on fighting too."   
  
The body did not acknowledge that he was there. But Bankotsu could feel that Inuyasha's sealed-up soul could hear him. It may have been the night's light rain, but Bankotsu could almost swear it...the peaceful-looking hanyou had tears on his cheeks.   
  
So he climbed down, waved goodbye, and left. He never saw the hanyou again. _   
  
- - -   
  
Soft, shimmery moonlight shone down on them, stars winking shyly from the endless blanket of navy sky. The shadows of the leaves from the trees cast interesting patterns on their clothing, faces, and arms. Inuyasha, as usual, looked annoyed at the world.   
  
"So, what do you want, anyway?"   
  
Bankotsu smiled at Inuyasha. Saying nothing, he reached out his hands to feel at the hanyou's ears. His eyes suddenly grew wide with wonder.   
  
"What, you too? What _is_ it with you people and my ears?!" Inuyasha growled in disbelief, pulling away.   
  
Bankotsu remained unwavered, looking shocked. The expression slowly melted into relieved adoration. "So...it really is you. I can't believe it. I mean, I knew we were after a guy called 'Inuyasha', but when Jakotsu started going off about your ears, I had to come see it for myself. I'm...I'm absolutely speechless."   
  
"Uh, so am I..." Inuyasha answered, looking very confused.   
  
"You don't remember me?" the braided man responded, looking somewhat hurt. "It's Bankotsu...remember, the little samurai boy?"   
  
Inuyasha shook his head slowly. "Don't think so," He paused, thinking something over. "In fact, it's impossible. You died ten years ago, right? I was sealed by Kikyou three decades before you were born..."   
  
"I know, but let me explain-"   
  
"Sorry," Inuyasha interrupted, sighing, "But you've mistaken me for someone else. So if you don't mind, I've gotta get back to the others..."   
  
"No!" Bankotsu protested, stepping in the hanyou's way. "I _know_ it's you. When you were sealed, when I was nine years old - I ran head-first into your tree...and I was temporarily trapped in there with you. We talked for awhile, and when I regained conciousness, I woke up back in my body. Inuyasha...you _have to remember_! Think _really_ hard!"   
  
Inuyasha snarled, becoming angry. "I'm _not_ that guy! You're wasting my time, so get out of the way!"   
  
Bankotsu was shoved to the side as the hanyou stormed past him, swearing under his breath about "crazy, stupid dead people". Left in the woods, bewildered, he did nothing but watch for several moments. Yet slowly, Bankotsu felt his fists clench; he felt his eyes go dark and narrow. He wasn't about to give up so easily...not after all he'd been through to find him.   
  
"Inuyasha!" he shouted. "I kept fighting, just like you told me! You had given up in that seal, and I promised, when I was strong, that I would save you! But I died before that happened... and I brought that broken promise with me to the grave! I'd been looking for you all this time, you know. It's why I hadn't joined up with the others yet," he paused, slightly choking on his words. _No...I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry..._ "J-jakotsu tracked me down out here. I th-thought after that that I'd never have a chance of finding you. But here you are, Inuyasha. Right in front of me. And the least you can do...is give me some closure..." Bankotsu's shoulders began to tremble and his head turned downwards, his unkempt bangs obscuring his eyes. Hot moisture began to streak down his face. "Please..."   
  
Inuyasha felt his anger disappear. Suddenly, this imagery...a small, crying boy, ashamed of himself, telling his tragic story. It was fuzzy, like being recalled from a dream, but it felt real. Completely real. Inuyasha felt his veins turn cold as ice, then melt into putty just as quickly. "Oh gods...Bankotsu. I do remember!"   
  
Bankotsu lifted his head. "R-really?"   
  
The hanyou nodded, still in shock. He couldn't believe this...couldn't believe he'd forgotten.   
  
Bankotsu raced forward to embrace his old friend, holding him tight in his arms. Flustered at first, the hanyou gradually returned the embrace. "You changed my life," Bankotsu stammered, "I would have died long before I eventually did...if you hadn't told me to never give up."   
  
Inuyasha ruffled the younger man's hair. It _was_ good to see him again. So many things in his past were too painful to revisit, but this was a memory he wanted to keep. "You've grown up, brat. So how old are you now?" he asked him.   
  
"Technically, 27. But I died when I was 17," Bankotsu replied, glad the hanyou had asked it. He was more curious, though, about Inuyasha himself. "You're out of the seal. What happened to you?"   
  
"Kagome did," Inuyasha replied. "Reincarnation of the miko who sealed me."   
  
Bankotsu cocked his head. "Naraku mentioned her. Is she that oddly-dressed girl? Or the hunter?"   
  
Inuyasha flinced at the mention of Naraku, but tried to let it pass. "The oddly dressed one, actually. And the _biggest pain in my ass_..." he sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes. Bankotsu could tell by his tone that it was completely untrue.   
  
"She set you free, huh? So how are you?" He asked sincerely.   
  
"Well, could be better. We're up against-" he paused- "A lot of obstacles right now. But I've improved a lot since you saw me last. I'm free now, obviously, and I have friends. And despite how much they get on my nerves, they're what's keeping me going."   
  
"So you're looking for the shards..." Bankotsu wondered, trailing off.   
  
"To keep them from Naraku. Once we have them all, though...I'm not sure what we'll do."   
  
Bankotsu chuckled. "I _heard_ you were a hero, but now I know for sure. You did good for yourself..." He thought for a moment, his expression turning slightly melancholy. "I didn't have to save you, afterall."   
  
Inuyasha snorted, failing to acknowledge his latter comment. "Hero? Ke, I doubt it. Whatever you heard was really exagerrated."   
  
"Well whatever you are, it's more than I could ever get." Bankotsu shot him a sheepish smile, which he rarely showed to any save Jakotsu. "I'm happy for you."   
  
"I heard what happened," Inuyasha replied, his face becoming serious. "I hate to say it, but you did some horrible stuff, Bankotsu. If I had known you were involved...remembered you...gods, it made me so angry. Now that I think about, though, I'm in shock..."   
  
The boyish grin on Bankotsu's face suddenly shifted into a faked, disappointed smile. "Well, I was only fighting against the world, like you told me. My death was inevitable, all of ours were...but I was able, at least, to delay them a bit...to take a stand and defend myself and the others. What other life would there be for a bunch of outcasts like us?"   
  
"Bankotsu, back then...I was only-"   
  
"We were incredible," Bankotsu interrupted, "I wish you could have seen us when we were in all our glory...seven of us, seven...against outstanding odds, strong as an army of one thousand men! Those horrible people who cast us out of the world...they _respected_ us. Respect! Something we'd never have gotten any other way. And those who didn't fear us were envious. Our lives...so much richer than you could imagine. We may have been killed, Inuyasha, but we had already won. Can't you see why we lived that way?"   
  
Inuyasha shook his head harshly, both angry and annoyed. "Look, I know what I said, and that's not what I meant! You and your Shichinintai - you may have thought yourselves as righteous, and in some ways you were, but there _could_ have been another way! You had a fight to pick with humanity, and you were going about it by murdering the innocent! There's NEVER an excuse for that! What you and your friends did to all of those people...I could tear out your neck for it!!"   
  
Bankotsu opened his mouth as if to speak, and then closed it again. He could barely let out a whisper in the silence. "I...why are you...?"   
  
The hanyou paused at Bankotsu's stunned reaction, realizing he'd gone too far. He quickly softened his tone. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. But I'm right. You can fight the world in more ways than how you did, Bankotsu. Killing is _never_ a solution. I only wish...that you had known that."   
  
"You've changed too much," Bankotsu replied, more than a little upset. "Killing is our only way of life. We can't turn back on that now."   
  
Inuyasha indicated his sleeping friends with a toss of his head. "Hey. I did."   
  
"Well, it's too late for me. This is our second chance, you know? Naraku gave us a job to do, just like old times. If we succeed, he'll let us keep the shards. We'll live forever, Inuyasha. Our fate has been completely turned around...you should be happy for me."   
  
"And your mission is to _kill_ me. Yeah, I'm thrilled," Inuyasha replied sarcastically. "Damnit, Bankotsu! Did you hear what I just said? You've obviously learned nothing at all!"   
  
Bankotsu looked down at his feet and was silent for a very long time. His happiness at finding Inuyasha had been crushed into doubt and denial. The philosophy he'd lived by half his life...had he done the whole thing wrong?   
  
"Look, I gotta go," Inuyasha told him. "It was good to see you. But we're enemies now. You'd best get back to your guys."   
  
"Wait, Inuyasha-!" Bankotsu called to him again. But as the hanyou stared back at him, he realized, bitterly, that he was right, and going against Naraku meant a swift return to his grave. "I'm sorry," Bankotsu told him, barely audible. "I'm sorry it has to be this way."   
  
"Yeah, Bankotsu. I am too," Inuyasha replied, "But for both our sakes, let's pretend we'd never met before."   
  
Bankotsu nodded, but he felt like he'd been stabbed. "Yeah. It's best," he responded weakly.   
  
Inuyasha smiled at him, sincerely. And then he left.   
  
"I guess that's it, then," Bankotsu whispered to himself. "But why is this _so hard_? Why am I...?" He felt the familiar dampness in the corners of his eyes, the sudden, jarring heave of his gut. "Why do I keep crying? _Why do I keep crying_!?"   
  
Gasping, Bankotsu collapsed to the floor. He hugged his chest and tried in vain to keep the tears from coming. _I've found Inuyasha, freed and happy,_ he thought. _He's real. He remembered me. He finally found a place for himself in the world_. Sure, he'd wanted to be the one to save him...but it was of little importance who'd done it, because what mattered is that it was done. In the aftermath they should have been celebrating their reunion right now, beginning a brand-new friendship. _Who cares what "should be"...because by all rights, *I* should be dead. It wasn't my fate to be happy. It was my fate...to be tortured by my memories._   
  
Bankotsu's own survival and that of his friends now depended on him killing Inuyasha. It was a harsh, crushing truth that had hit down too suddenly, too cruelly, but it was a truth he had to face: He had to murder the boy who had saved him. He had to murder the boy...   
  
"It isn't fair!"   
  
...that he loved.   
  
"I love him?" Bankotsu wondered, floored by the realization. "I love Inuyasha?" _Yes I do. I always have_. His hopeless, tear-streaked face cracked out a tragic smile. "I have to let him know. I have to." He began to get up, ready to deny his fate. Ready to chase after the boy who had stolen his breath, his wonder, his heart...and to reclaim them all in full.   
  
But something stopped him. Someone was crashing towards him, rather recklessly, through the brush. His head swept backwards, glaring at the woods. He realized he'd left Jakotsutou somewhere in the forest, and was completely unarmed. _Great_, he thought, _this is ALL I need!_   
  
"Bankotsu no aniki!" came a frantic voice, just a little ways off in the distance. "Bankotsu, what's wrong?!"   
  
Bankotsu hissed out a sigh of relief as Jakotsu emerged from the brush, his sword slung over his shoulder. Apparently he'd found where Bankotsu had left it.   
  
"I thought I told you to guard the base," Bankotsu sniffled back quietly.   
  
"And I thought you'd take better care of my sword," Jakotsu replied, and knelt down next to Bankotsu, hugging him lightly around the waist. "I'm glad I got impatient. What happened, Ban-chan?"   
  
Bankotsu leaned fully into his best friend's embrace. Despite what he said, he was thankful that Jakotsu was there with him. "Nothing. Just a bad memory."   
  
Jakotsu sighed, his warm breath dancing on Bankotsu's neck. "I know how that feels. I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner."   
  
"It's okay." Bankotsu replied. He got himself up, wiping his arm across his face. "I cry too much, don't I?"   
  
"Yeah," Jakotsu replied, smiling gently. "Crybaby. But it's good for you. I wish I did it more often..." He paused, trying to think of something funny to cheer Bankotsu up. "So, aniki, did you manage to see Inuyasha? Ah, he's so amazing! I only wish he was here so I could cut him up to pieces!" he brought his his hands together and smiled dreamily, blushing like a schoolgirl.   
  
Bankotsu's face grew less sad, but Jakotsu didn't expect it to make him angry. "Just stop it, okay? Jeez, Jakotsu!" He snapped, surprising himself. "I mean, Let's go back...I'm tired."   
  
Jakotsu blinked. "Okay, Bankotsu...if you say so."   
  
- - -   
  
Kagome stared. Inuyasha was acting very odd, even for him.   
  
"Damn clothes hold onto smells like a fucking baby does a doll," he swore, scrubbing his haori madly on a washboard. "Shitty thing that doesn't work! Shitty stupid fucking-!"   
  
Sango, Shippou, and Miroku were done with their breakfast and were also beginning to notice the spectacle. They wandered over, one by one, to stare at the hanyou with concern.   
  
"So, what exactly is going on?" Kagome asked Miroku.   
  
The monk blinked. "I don't know why you'd think I have any clue."   
  
"Well, you two were talking when the rest of us went to bed. What happened?" Kagome probed. "What did he get on his clothes? He seems pretty upset..."   
  
"Well, we talked about what to do with the Shichinintai and Naraku...I started getting tired, oddly enough, and he told me to get some sleep. Whatever happened...well, it had to be after that."   
  
"Must've been the tea," Kagome commented. "It was chamomile. Hojou-kun gave it to me. He said it helps you sleep better, but I didn't think it would work. You remember? Inuyasha's the only one who wanted soda instead."   
  
Sango nodded. "I _thought_ I heard something last night, but it felt like part of a dream...so I just ignored it."   
  
"I heard it too," Shippou added. "But I went back to sleep. That stuff really works, Kagome!"   
  
"Maybe too well," she said bitterly. "It was a bad idea, now that I think about it."   
  
"It's okay, Kagome-sama. You shouldn't worry, because Inuyasha is still alright." Miroku offered encouragingly. Sango and Shippou nodded in agreement.   
  
"Oi, Kagome! Do you have anymore of that sudsy stuff?" Inuyasha called from his place in the lake. "Can you throw me another box?"   
  
Kagome dug out her last bit of laundry detergent and threw it in his direction. He thanked her and quickly went back to his scrubbing and swearing.   
  
Kagome sighed. "Well, I hope you guys are right. Because whoever he met last night was NOT someone he wants to remember." She walked off, deep in thought. The other three shared confused glances.   
  
"How does she know the smell is from a person?" Shippou asked, gazing back at the frantic hanyou. "It could be from anything..."   
  
Sango and Miroku shrugged. They'd seen more unusual things in their lifetimes than a hanyou behaving strangely, and had more important things to ponder than Kagome's near-psychic insightfulness to boot. Things such as dead, being-controlled-by-your-worst-enemy little brothers and air holes waiting to swallow you up were a definate higher priority.   
  
"It's times like this," Shippou muttered to Kirara, "That I wish I had something less generic than a father death to angst about."   
  
- - -   
  
"Jakotsu," Bankotsu stated suddenly.   
  
The twenty-year-old nearly started in the silence. Bankotsu'd barely said a word to him all morning. "What is it, aniki?"   
  
"How come you like guys?"   
  
Jakotsu stopped in his tracks, eyeing his friend with a look Bankotsu couldn't read. It was confusion, shock, and even hurt mixed up into one. "I don't know. I just do."   
  
"And you hate all women."   
  
"Not all. Just the ones who bother me," Jakotsu muttered, "But that's not why I like guys. I liked them before I started hating women...it just came more naturally to me."   
  
Bankotsu nodded. "That simple, huh? How did you know?"   
  
"How did I know what?" Jakotsu asked.   
  
"That you liked guys instead of girls."   
  
He pondered this for a moment. "I had friends that were girls and friends that were boys. I was young, but I could tell the difference. Boys made me feel...well, detached. Like I wasn't grounded on earth anymore. My heart would go wild and my palms would get sweaty and I couldn't even talk right. I could tell I liked them more specially. Mainly the cuties..."   
  
"But no one ever loved you back," Bankotsu said. "You got nothing but grief."   
  
Jakotsu was silent for several moments. "Bankotsu, why are you bringing this up? It makes me upset to think about it."   
  
Bankotsu sighed. "I'm sorry Jakotsu. I just wanted to know. You've been so unfortunate because of your preference. It took so much away from you, but you never tried to change it."   
  
"Because I can't," Jakotsu shrugged, "And I'd rather be an outcast with the Shichinintai, being myself, than living a lie with a family who refused to accept who I was. I'm happy, Bankotsu, with you and the others. Because you guys don't care either way."   
  
Bankotsu smiled, feeling a mix of empathy and admiration for him. "Jakotsu, I love you," he told his friend, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "We all do. And your stepmom was an idiot to not see what a great boy she had."   
  
Jakotsu smiled, blushing slightly. "Aww, Ban-chan...that's what that was all about? Thanks! I love you too!"   
  
Bankotsu decided he'd let Jakotsu think that's what his questions were about. He hated to take advantage of his best friend's cluelessness, but figured the circumstances (him loving Inuyasha, Jakotsu loving Inuyasha too) was enough to justify him doing it. "I'm glad," Bankotsu replied. "I just never got the chance to really tell you that."   
  
The two burst out laughing, as usual. "I'm glad you're our leader," Jakotsu told him. "But I'm happier, Ban-chan, that you're my friend."   
  
Bankotsu couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, but he cracked out a grin in return.   
  
- - -   
  
"Inuyasha, where are you going?" Kagome asked.   
  
"Out," he replied, like a teenager mouthing off to his mom. "So lay off, okay?"   
  
"Fine. Don't tell me," Kagome pouted. "Go off into the night again and get yourself killed!"   
  
Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, twitching slightly. "Look, what happened last night is none of your buisness. But I'll tell you this: I took care of the problem. So leave me the hell alone." He snapped back at her.   
  
Kagome turned briskly around, refusing to look at him. "I AM leaving you alone. So GO!"   
  
"I'm GOING!" Inuyasha yelled back.   
  
"GOOD!" Kagome responded. She stormed away in the opposite direction, hiding her look of hurt behind an angry facade.   
  
Miroku and Sango stared, feeling somewhat thankful that the only things they fought about were Miroku's perversion. A smack on the cheek seemed downright delightful compared to _this_.   
  
"They at it again?" Shippou asked, blinking sleepily, a cup of yellow-colored tea in his hands.   
  
Sango nodded. Miroku sighed.   
  
"Have anymore of that?" he asked Shippou. "I think I'll need it for their 'reunion' later tonight."   
  
The fox-boy nodded. "There's a kettle on the fire. Here's the leaves..." he handed them a zip-lock baggie filled with stuffed, rounded tea bags. Miroku and Sango each took one and headed for the fire.   
  
Kirara came over to Shippou and mewled softly. He poured a bit of his tea on a plate for her and patted her on the head. "You'll need some too, Kirara," he told her, face serious. "Because with their yelling, no one in the whole forest will be getting any sleep tonight."   
  
Kagome, pretending she didn't hear, learned that night that it was not a good idea to punch a tree trunk in anger.   
  
- - -   
  
When the moon was finally visible, Bankotsu went off again to look for Inuyasha.   
  
Although he and Jakotsu had been traveling a lot that day, he'd figured Inuyasha's group had done just as much as them, too. It had been physically easier to get started tonight than it had been yesterday, as he didn't have to sneak away. They had been getting closer to the daimyou's place that Bankotsu had planned to raid, and so he sent his third-in-command off to meet up with the other Shichinintai before he did. Though reluctant ("No way, Ban-chan! Not after what happened last night!"), Bankotsu had finally been able to convince Jakotsu he was fine; That he had one more thing to take care of and that he had to do it alone.   
  
Emotionally, however, it was a thousand times harder. It had previously been on a thread of hope that maybe, just maybe, the guy they were after was the same Inuyasha he had hero-worshipped in his childhood. Tonight was different...he knew it was "his" Inuyasha. And this time, he planned to tell him how he really felt. He had no idea how the hanyou would react, but it was better than never knowing what would happen. He had to do it before he met up with the others again, because once the remaining Shichinintai were back together, he wouldn't have another chance.   
  
After well over two hours of near-blind searching, Bankotsu picked up a trail and hung low. Silently, expertly, he tracked the hanyou, with a stealth that would put any ninja to shame. With great precision he moved, not daring to scrape against a single branch. Testing the breeze, he stayed downwind at all times, winding through ancient footpaths more silently than a cat. If he did it as perfectly as he had last night, the hanyou, again, wouldn't notice him until he wanted to be noticed. It kept his mind off the confession, at least, as he didn't want to scare himself and turn back. As the time slipped away, however, it began to get harder, so he had to find him fast.   
  
Then finally, suddenly, emerging past a clearing, he found who he'd been searching for. Bankotsu was relieved, but was surprised to see the hanyou standing, fully clothed, in the middle of a stream.   
  
The cool water bubbled past Inuyasha, and he stared, eyes closed, at the sky. It looked like some foreign purity ritual, as he was obviously not bathing with his clothes still on. "I wonder if he's put himself in a trance," Bankotsu whispered. It certainly seemed that way. As he continued to watch the strange sight, to his amazement, he started _blushing_. It was faint, but he could certainly feel the blood getting hot in his cheeks. "Well, what do I expect?" He whispered to himself. It was new to him, but it was something he had to accept.   
  
What happened next, however, completely threw him off. A rush of fire overtook his groin, and he felt himself throbbing, needing, growing hard. _What the?!_   
  
_I'm not Jakotsu!_ he thought angrily to himself. _What the hell am I doing?!_   
  
It was nearly enough to make him storm away, disgusted. He didn't want it to be about sex. He thought his feelings were purer than that.   
  
_Okay, Bankotsu. Focus. Focus on something else besides his body_.   
  
But it was obvious. Inuyasha seemed suddenly gorgeous to him: His gleaming silver hair clinging wetly to his back, neck, and shoulders, his lips slightly parted, showing his little fangs. His crimson robes looking black in the night, forming a perfect outline of his perfect body. Bankotsu realized that he'd never seen anything quite so beautiful in his life. Not even cutie-obsessed Jakotsu could have possibly seen that in the hanyou. But even more, he was sure of, was that he didn't just want Inuyasha's body...he was sure he loved his soul just as well.   
  
_All this after a lifetime of admiration. A single night of wanting something more. Have I been like this all along...?_   
  
"No," he whispered, disbelievingly. "The whole thing happened just now."   
  
Inuyasha's ears pricked forward and he glared towards the woods. Scenting the air, he grumpily realized that he was upwind of the area. Something who knew that was watching him. "Who's out there?" he yelled. "Come out and face me!"   
  
Bankotsu stood up. It was now or never. "Well, here I am."   
  
"..." Inuyasha paused, and remembered their agreement. "Wh...who the hell are you?" he asked, voice remaining fierce. "You wanna pick a fight?"   
  
"I'm not here for that," Bankotsu told him. "And I never will be. Because you know what, Inuyasha? I _don't_ want to pretend we never met," His heart pumped wildly in his chest. He had no idea where this was going. "I could never forget you. I just can't fake it that I have."   
  
A deafening silence divided them for several seconds. Bankotsu seemed pleading with his eyes.   
  
"Look," Inuyasha finally replied, annoyed. "Why the hell are you doing this? If you don't stop killing people, Bankotsu, I just can't be your friend. And you said it yourself: Your survival right now depends on doing what Naraku says. You're only making it harder on both of us."   
  
Bankotsu shook his head. "No I'm not. You are."   
  
"What?!" Inuyasha snarled. "You're acting like a woman! Stop torturing yourself and FORGET I EVER HAPPENED!" He wrung out his hair and stomped from the stream, sending up a thousand angry little splashes. It looked like he'd pass right by Bankotsu in a huff, but he stopped, amazingly, and stared him directly in the eyes. "Look, Bankotsu. I'm thankful that you helped me remember you. But I don't like what you've become, okay? I know that youv'e grown up and that it's your life, er, afterlife, whatever...but try to remember who you were and if it's worth it. To me...that little boy that visited me in my seal has died away, long ago."   
  
The tears were coming again, and this time, Bankotsu didn't try to stop them. He didn't want Inuyasha to think he'd become a heartless killer. That's what everyone else always said, all those stupid villagers, samurai, and daimyous who had their place and took it for granted. It usually didn't bother him, but it really hurt coming from Inuyasha. "No..." he said, swallowing an invisible lump in his throat, "That's not true."   
  
"I think it is," Inuyasha told him bitterly. "Because the Bankotsu I knew was too gentle to be a ruthless mercenary."   
  
"_DON'T ASSUME I HAVE NO FEELINGS_!" Bankotsu yelled at him, letting the hot, salty tears spill down his face. "Before I went to war, I'd never killed a person in my life, just animals and youkai! Jakotsu didn't understand why it was so hard for me, but at least he held me every time I broke down. But I couldn't let the others know...they'd've lost all respect... because I am...their leader..."   
  
"Leader?!" Inuyasha gasped, wide-eyed. "You _started_ the Shichinintai?"   
  
"I did," Bankotsu sobbed back, "It was my livlihood. My only place. They were my family. We were monsters to everybody else. _You_ wanted to use the Shikon no Tama to be a full youkai to protect yourself. _You_ got lucky and didn't have to. But us...we had to kill to stay alive. If we showed them any weakness, we were done for. But I swear to you..._it wasn't always like that_. We had some happy times. We fought for the freedom to have that luxury during the wars...it was our proof that what we were doing was actually worth all the pain."   
  
The hanyou gaped. It was slowly making sense to him: Bankotsu really never had a choice. This whole time he'd only wanted Inuyasha's approval.   
  
"I killed nine-hundred and ninety-nine men, Inuyasha. It was part of our job, but it was also for you. I thought if I killed one thousand, I'd be strong enough to finally free you. But we were ambushed by that shitty daimyou before I could. But I realize now...no matter how hard I fought to please you, no matter how hard I tried to save you...you still won't see it."   
  
"What can't I see?"   
  
"You know you mean so much to me! But you can't see how much _I_ want to mean to you!"   
  
Bankotsu flinched, turning away. He awaited the hanyou's worst.   
  
"Bankotsu...I don't know what to say," Inuyasha answered shakily. He felt a flood unleash inside of him; It filled him up and was quickly drowning him in a million different emotions. "But I realize it now. And your efforts...no one has done anything close to that much just for me. I'm stolen of my words of what that...what you...really mean to me. But it's a very strong feeling."   
  
"Y-you mean it? You're really acknowledging me?"   
  
"I am. I'm grateful."   
  
Overcome with emotion, devoid of all judgement, Bankotsu's head thrust forward without even thinking. He captured the moment in those pink, parted lips; taking them with his own and claiming them fully. Inuyasha seemed to stiffen in his arms, but didn't try resisting him otherwise. So he did what he'd seen Jakotsu do on many occasions - tilted his head and rolled in his tongue. He felt enraptured: The taste was better than wine and twice as potent. He felt as though his entire body, mind and soul were all a part of this, that he'd been created, killed and resurrected to live for this one, fleeting, spectacular moment.   
  
He felt clawed hands embrace his neck. Inuyasha...was _returning_ his kiss? It was almost too dreamy to be real, but it was happening, and it felt beyond amazing. The hanyou's wonderful, candy-sweet tongue moved gently against his own. He felt the pressue on his back where Inuyasha held him tighter. Jakotsu was wrong about everything; Bankotsu felt that all the sex in the world would pale in comparison to the wonder, the nirvana he felt right now.   
  
It ended, sadly, all too soon. Both men parted, bright pink and completely breathless. Inuyasha looked briskly away from him. "I feel sick," he commented. "Gods, you were a _child_-"   
  
Bankotsu shushed him. "But I'm not anymore. You were in stasis, and I was dead. We're both the same age now."   
  
Inuyasha still refused to look at him. "It feels all wrong now! Even if...you kiss good..." he muttered.   
  
Bankotsu suddenly burst out laughing, startling the hanyou out of his wits. He always did this with Jakotsu, and almost expected the other man to join in - but Inuyasha merely stared at him like he was crazy. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha," Bankotsu crowed delightedly, "It just reminded me of something funny. We're like two little boys who just practiced kissing on one another with an unexpected result...isn't it hilarious?"   
  
Inuyasha looked at the ground again. "Not particularly, no."   
  
Bankotsu, with much difficulty, stopped himself from silly thoughts long enough to regain composure. "Let me explain. You see, me and Jakotsu tried it ages ago, when we were still little kids. He said exactly what you did, and we couldn't stop laughing about it for days," Bankotsu said, stifling a chuckle. He saw that Inuyasha wasn't following, and turned away, feeling like an idiot for bringing it up. "Well, it was just a thought..."   
  
"We're in a bind, Bankotsu," Inuyasha replied, glad the hilarity was over. "And I like you. But we can't be together. Not even as friends, and certainly not as more."   
  
"Yeah, I know," Bankotsu responded. "But I had to let you know. So I'll say it. I love you."   
  
Inuyasha blushed furiously at this. No one had ever said that to him so directly. "Uh, thanks," he replied.   
  
Bankotsu smiled sadly. "So you returned my kiss...but not my feelings?"   
  
Inuyasha shook his head. "I'll admit I find some guys attractive...even you..." he barely muttered, "But I'm in love with somebody else. I...liked the kiss, however...you do kiss good..."   
  
Bankotsu was disappointed, but what did he expect? He showed up after eighteen years out of nowhere and the hanyou hadn't even remembered him. He was happy enough to know that his devotion, like it so often did, had not, like he thought, gone unnoticed or unappreciated. "I can't forget you," Bankotsu said simply. "But as much as I wish it otherwise, I have to think about myself and my friends. And I want us all to live."   
  
"Keep fighting..." Inuyasha pondered, just to hear the phrase out loud. "Maybe it's different from my way. But I have no right to take that away from you, no matter how wrong I think it is."   
  
Bankotsu nodded. "Thanks. That's all I really wanted to hear."   
  
"You know," Inuyasha told him, "When you kept me company in my seal, you saw it as a beautiful place. But for my mind, it was endlessly dark and lonely. You were a light in a long time of despair, even if only for a while. It's memory I'm glad you helped me find."   
  
"I'm happy, then, just knowing you wanted to find it." Bankotsu let out a tiny, near inaudible sigh. "Here we are, then. In the morning we'll be enemies. I'm on my way to kill an entire village; you'll be on your way to stopping me. I'll be the bad guy, trying to kill you. Working on the orders of your worst enemy that gave me and all my comrades a second chance at life."   
  
"Well, I'll be there. I'm curious to see how you fight," Inuyasha answered, grinning in spite of it all. "Though I'm sure you'll be no match for me."   
  
"Eh, we'll see about _that_." This time, they both laughed.   
  
"Can you hold me though? One last time? Just like I felt you were on the night that I met you, when I was all alone."   
  
Inuyasha nodded, and embraced him. He was the little boy again, under his protection. Tomorrow, he knew he couldn't hesitate to kill him. Now, however, he could hold him as long as he wanted. And so he did.   
  
"I should get going," Inuyasha finally said. "Next time we meet, I can't know you."   
  
Bankotsu nodded, but this time he didn't feel so helpless. He had finally found his peace, he had finally gotten his closure. "I know, and neither can I. But I can never stop loving you...think of that when we fight, and wherever fate might bring us."   
  
Inuyasha blushed, saying thanks again. He added, "It's good to know. I'll keep it right in here." He smiled, pointing to his heart.   
  
So they gazed at oneanother, as friends, for one final time. They clung to the moments as long as they could, but gazes, like life, were always brief and hard to hold to.   
  
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Give me your best!" Inuyasha called, turning and walking away.   
  
"Che, of course I will," Bankotsu yelled back. "And don't go easy on me. I'm the killer, you're the hero. You've gotta do your best or you'll ruin the story."   
  
"Yeah, yeah...eat me." His form almost faded away, but he turned at the last minute. "You are," he said, this time without even flinching, "A good kisser. So if you like other guys, why don't you go for that irritating friend of yours?"   
  
Bankotsu gaped, but managed an embarassed chuckle. Inuyasha shot him an uncharacteristically sly smile and swiftly disappeared, swallowed up by the night. The one left behind tried to cluch at his fleeting shadow.   
  
"Strangely," Bankotsu thought out loud, "I don't feel as sad as I thought I would. It's more of a sense of peace, like all the loose ends I left untied before my death were taken care of."   
  
The braided man smiled. That quickly turned into an overexcited gasp. "Wow, that sounded pretty good! Maybe before tomorrow I can write that daimyou a letter, like 'wash your necks and wait for me'...it's perfect! Renkotsu thinks he's so smart...I'll show him..." Bankotsu clutched his fist to his chest, eyes filled with determination. He did feel like a kid again, and if he was stuck in such a dark position, he might as well enjoy himself.   
  
"That crazy hanyou...imagine, me and Jakotsu...he's my friend! It'd be so _wierd_..." He stopped, laughing nervously to himself. He blatantly ignored the burning in his cheeks. "Anyways, though...tomorrow, I'll get back my Banryuu, and take that daimyou's head!" He marched off into the forest, towards the place he'd told his friends to meet him. "I'll kill my thousandth man...and even if Inuyasha doesn't appreciate it, I'll know...I've finally become as strong as I had promised him."   
  
Yet as he said that, he knew now...Inuyasha _would_ acknowledge the sentiment. 


End file.
